Lets Talk Turkey Sliders

We love turkey.  We love turkey so much that the kids and I start planning our Thanksgiving dinner about...ummm....the end of August.  So after several mouth watering Thanksgiving conversations, I picked up some ground turkey on sale the other day and decided to try turkey sliders to keep our turkey cravings at bay.  They turned out ....a ....maze..... ing.

Turkey Sliders with a Kick

You will need:

2 1/2 lbs. ground turkey breast
1/4 medium onion roughly chopped
3-4 good sized forkfulls of pickled jalapenos
2 cloves garlic
1/2 sleeve butter crackers
2-3 Tbsp. BBQ sauce ( the only prepared BBQ sauce we ingest in this house is Saaaweeeet Baby Rays)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
A bit of salt and pepper

Enough canola oil to coat bottom of skillet

Place ground turkey in medium sized bowl.  Crush crackers and add to turkey (I use my food processor to crush crackers).  To food processor, add garlic, jalapenos and onion and process till finely chopped.  Add mixture and rest of ingredients (besides oil) to turkey and mix well.  Refrigerate for a bit to make patty making easier.  If you're a twitchy egg person...wait to add your egg till right before you make your patties.

Form turkey into patties that will just be a bit larger than the slider buns you have.  I make my own buns (use your favorite bread recipe..scale to 1 1/2 loaves and form dough into tiny rolls.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking).  Heat skillet to medium high and add canola oil.  When oil is rippin, add  patties, cooking until golden brown.  I place cooked patties on a half sheet pan and when they're all cooked to crispy golden perfection, I top them with cheese of my choice...(tonite was sharp cheddar) and broil them for a few minutes.  Stick 'em on a bun with your favorite toppings DO NOT FORGET A HEAP OF GRILLED ONIONS...and enjoy.

Stew Delicious to Be True

Hearty and satisfying Kielbasa Stew....perfect dish for fall.  I actually make this all year...we're kinda big fans of this stuff...... but it tasted extra good on this chilly September evening.  This would also make a great crock-pot recipe.  I love kielbasa (always pronounced kabasie when I was growing up, until I realized that unless the person I was talking to was directly related to me, they had no idea what I was talking about) and I'm always on the lookout for new kielbasa recipes.

 Kielbasa and Cabbage Stew

This bowl of stew is screaming for  a dollop of sour cream.

You will need:

2 lbs kielbasa sliced into thin rounds....I have made this recipe with turkey, chicken, beef and reindeer kielbasa...all we're equally delicious.

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 lg onion, diced

1 medium head cabbage cut in half, cored, each half cut in thirds then cut in 1/4 inch slices

1 16 oz container beef stock ( or chicken, or veggie....I prefer the beef )

1 green pepper, diced

1 29 oz can tomato sauce

1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes ( I like the fire roasted)

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

Several dashes of Franks Red Hot ( when I say several, I mean like 30)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

1/2 cup sour cream


Heat large pot over medium high heat.  Add olive oil, kielbasa, onions, peppers and garlic.  Cook until onions and peppers begin to soften..  Add cabbage and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add rest of ingredients besides sour cream.  Reduce heat and simmer till cabbage is tender.  Stir in sour cream right before serving.

Not Your Moms Pie Crust

My mom can make a flaky amazing pie crust standing on her head wearing a blindfold with one arm tied behind her back.  I cannot.  I gave up on pie crust quite a few years ago and haven't looked back.  I buy it.  The downside to not being a pie crust expert is when I make quiche, even though it's very tasty, I always feel a little sad that the crust wasn't made with these two hands.  A couple years ago a good family friend told me he and his wife use leftover rice for their quiche crust.....brilliant....that's the kinda crust I can handle.

Zucchini and Smoked Turkey Quiche with Brown Rice Crust

This recipe makes two quiche.

You will need:

A couple of zucchini, diced in bite sized pieces ( I only had to use one thanks to the ginormously huge veggies grown here in the Mat-Su Valley)

1/2 lb. smoked turkey breast cubed

1 small onion diced fine

10 eggs

2 cups milk

2 cups grated Swiss cheese

4 Tbsp. Flour

3-4 cups cooked leftover brown rice

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (any hard grateable cheese will do)

Few tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Paprika


Preheat oven to 350.

Heat olive oil in large skillet...saute zucchini, onion, and smoked turkey till zucchini and onions are tender...season liberally with salt and pepper....and whatever spices you like...I often use basil and oregano.  Remove from heat to cool.

In large mixing bowl mix rice, 2 eggs and Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Press into bottom and up the sides of  two greased 9 inch pie plates keeping layer as thin as possible while still covering entire inside of plate.  (Wetting hands with warm water helps keep the rice from sticking to your hands.)

Beat 8 eggs in medium sized bowl, add milk and a little salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Mix 4 Tbsp. flour into turkey/zucchini mixture and mix well.  Layer 1/4 of Swiss cheese into bottom of  each pie plate followed by 1/2 of turkey mixture then top each with remaining Swiss.  Pour egg and milk mixture equally into each shell.

Sprinkle each quiche with a little paprika and bake for 45 mins to 1 hr.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

The kids and I picked about a paper lunch bag sized amount of peas the other day at the farm...after I shelled them I ended up with just over a cup. A quick scan of the fridge revealed a couple crookneck yellow squash peeking out at me from behind a huge bag of ...carrots.....as well as the three leftover grilled balsamic marinated chicken breasts I used for dinner the night before.  So without further ado I give you.......

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Shells with Chicken

You will need:

1 lb. uncooked shells

Chicken stock

3 leftover grilled chicken  breasts, diced

2 med sized yellow squash, chopped in bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup peas (frozen works just fine)

1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Few Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 Cup heavy cream

Pecorino Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Cook shells according to directions in pot of chicken stock...drain pasta, reserving liquid.  Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add squash and garlic, cooking till squash is just starting to sweat...add peas.  When squash is tender add juice of one lemon, pasta , chicken and salt and pepper to taste.  Add a ladle or two of pasta cooking liquid along with heavy cream.  It will seem like the pasta is swimming in liquid at first, but the pasta will start to absorb sauce.  Put pasta  in large serving bowl and top generously with grated pecorino cheese.  This recipe serves 4 with a large salad...

“A dish of carrot hastily cooked may still have soil uncleaned off the vegetable.” Chinese Proverb

I really need to get rid of these carrots.  Catchy carrot proverbs aren't as easy to find as you may think and neither is really tasty carrot-ginger dressing.  This dressing is almost identical in taste to the carrot-ginger dressing at my favorite Japanese restaurant, though a tad bit thicker and just a smidge punchier.

Carrot-Ginger Dressing

 

You will need:

1 cup roughly chopped carrots (about 3 medium)

1/4 medium onion roughly chopped

1 inch peeled and chopped fresh ginger

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. miso

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

 1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on the consistency you like)

Pinch of sugar and fresh ground pepper

Toss all ingredients in a food processor ( I use my Magic Bullet...THANKS MOM!!) and process till smooth.  Serve atop a delicious mound of  fresh greens..grilled fish or veggies...or anything else you can think of that would be tasty. 

Labor of Love Day

My house needs more cow bell.  I don't own a cow bell, but I'm gonna get one.  IF I had a cow bell I would've used it bright and early yesterday morning..  I would've marched past closed bedroom doors in my ratty robe and crazy bed hair clanging on my cow bell like my life depended on it.  Alas, I have no cow bell and just quietly knocked instead, waking everyone up on that cold, windy, rainy Labor Day to go pick veggies with me at our local U-Pick farm.  The kids weren't that thrilled about the idea until I MAY have suggested that J (our teenager) could drive us there and that we MIGHT POSSIBLY stop at DQ on our way home ( E, our 11 yr olds favorite).  Merrily on our way we went.  There were only two "who farted?" fights on the way and just a few under breath grumblings about why we had to listen to NPR and not a "good" radio station, but all in all  a very nice ride to the farm ( I'm gonna leave out the couple hair-raising driving moments of J's, I don't wanna hurt his new little driver feelings.)  We came home with five bags of assorted fresh tasties....zucchini, squash, lettuce, peas, cabbage and carrots... along with three runny noses (small price to pay for deliciousness). As I greedily surveyed the array of gorgeous produce scattered across my kitchen, I started to form a plan......

Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Zucchini Sandwiches on 

French Bread with Crispy Oven Potato Wedges

 I made my own french bread...will post on that recipe later....super easy.

Hate this photo, but by the time I realized how crappy my photos had turned out..dinner was just a memory.

You will need:  

4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 Cup olive oil

3/4 Cup balsamic vinegar

2 loaves crusty French bread cut in half lenthwise

3-4 med zucchini sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise

1/2 cup pesto (can add a little mayo for a creamier consistency)

3 tomatoes sliced sandwich style

8 slices provolone cheese 


Throw first four ingredients in gallon Ziploc bag, smarsh around a bit and toss in fridge.  I'd marinate at least an hour.

Fire up the grill...grill chicken till done.  Set aside. Brush each side of zucchini with olive oil and s&p.  Grill till tender.  Thinly slice chicken on the bias.

Sandwich assembly:  On bottom half layer; chicken slices, grilled zucchini, tomato slices and provolone cheese.  Broil for a few minutes till cheese is bubbly.  Slather pesto or pesto mayo mix on top half .  Put top and bottom together and cut HUGE slices for everyone.  Or tiny slices, whichever you prefer.  

For Crispy Oven Potato Wedges: (cut as many thick potato wedges as ye like (keep the skin on) and throw in a bowl with canola oil, s&p, onion powder,  few dashes of paprika  and chopped garlic, toss on a greased baking sheet SKIN SIDE DOWN and bake at 425 for about 40ish mins) dipped in a last minute throw together yummy sauce of 1 cup sour cream, 2 tsp onion powder (finely chopped onion would be fab too), 2 tsp garlic salt, 2 tbsp dried parsley flakes and a few tablespoons of BACON bits.   


Note:  I actually marinated and grilled a family pack of chicken breasts last night.  The chicken is doing double duty as....not sure what yet.....for tonight.